Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

notesinthemargin(Grade: A–) You can't read YA and not have read at least one of Sarah Dessen's twelves (TWELVE!) novels. Her latest, Saint Anything, came out just a few weeks ago and rocketed to the top of the New York Times list, and it's clear why. This was a different direction for Dessen, a bit of a turn from her usually fluffy romantic writing and a chance for her to grapple with some darker edges of growing up.

(Rated on Jun 22, 2015)

3

bennettgavrish(Grade: A–) Sydney, the first-person narrator of "Saint Anything," has plenty of opportunities and excuses to devolve into a whiny, self-centered teen protagonist. She resists though, instead using an honest lens to examine herself and the world around her. That world is filled with a cast of colorful and memorable characters, all of whom are easy to root for. The book's imagery and symbolism occasionally miss the mark, but Dessen pours enough genuine emotion into the pages to make up for it.

(Rated on Jul 29, 2015)

1

RemusLupin(Grade: A) This is perhaps Dessen's most real novel yet, which is saying something. Sydney is a (sometimes painfully) relatable protagonist, and the secondary characters all jump out of the page, making you feel the same things Sydney does about each of them. The reader can clearly imagine every scene, from the lights of the spinning carousel to the sounds of distant bluegrass music or hospital machine beeping. I can already tell this will be one of the Dessen books that I will come back to again & again.

(Rated on Jun 16, 2015)

1

BookishMiller(Grade: B) I give it 4.5 stars! such a great read. That ending, not what I expected at all, but a closure none the less. I want a Saint Anything book 2.